The present invention relates to the field of electronic data interchange (EDI), and more particularly to a template mapping system for dynamic and flexible EDI message interchange.
Whereas currently electronic data interchange is controlled by fixed message structures, future EDI, particularly via the World Wide Web (Web) and the Internet will consist of flexible EDI messages and formats. To accommodate this technology shift, EDI users must have a means to simply and accurately convey translation information to their trading partners so that they may effectively utilize the information they are exchanging.
Whereas a template mapping for dynamic and flexible dataset translation provides this underlying mechanism, for the end user this is a complex and potentially confusing technique.
Therefore, a method is needed that is both xe2x80x98code-freexe2x80x99 (does not require the use of complex programming languages and constructs) and within the domain of commonly used existing metaphors and tools.
This should enable the user to work within a familiar working environment and use this to learn new and powerful additional new capabilities.
Furthermore, today""s Internet and Web environment means that the user has to handle extended complex situations that hitherto they have not dealt with in terms of sending and receiving business information.
These, typically, consist of preparing a template to accompany the business information they need to send to a trading partner. During this process they must examine their own business application databases and sources of information, and select the required elements and associated rules. Then they reference a Global Element Dictionary located either external via an Internet URL (Uniform Resource Locator) address, or locally on a CD-ROM reference dictionary. This allows them to determine any established standards for the information they need to exchange.
After incorporating this information, they further have to assemble the actual information indicated by the template they have created. This includes accessing the database records, and then taking each element and embedding it in the correct place within the EDI message format. Since future EDI messages will be based in part on dynamic formats such as the XML syntax, (Extensible Markup Language, a derivative of the ISO SGML Standard Generalized Markup Language), this requires the use of a rule-based mechanism to correctly generate valid messages.
Once the message has been correctly completed, the user can then directly send it to the external delivery system, for receipt by a third party. (The external delivery system in this case is either the Internet or similar electronic networked delivery system).
At the end of the process, they must finally update the corresponding records within their local database system with an indicator to show the information status as xe2x80x9cSentxe2x80x9d and store the recipients"" address along with a reference to the transaction that was sent.
Currently, to achieve all of these actions users must rely on custom software created specifically for the purpose. Such existing software is designed for use with today""s rigid and inflexible EDI message formats and standards. It, therefore, lacks the abilities described by this invention to provide truly dynamic business information exchanges that can be freely modified and manipulated.
In such a dynamic system, it is required that the user be able to successfully handle a broad range of processing situations by use of the available software tool.
Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide a simple and intuitive method for the end user to collect, process, create, direct and control the business information involved. This includes both sending and receiving messages.
It is the object of this invention to ensure that the end user is able to describe the processing they require in a simple and clear fashion.
It is another object of this invention to create a xe2x80x98code-freexe2x80x99 (does not require the use of complex programming languages and constructs) means of defining the processing to be accomplished.
It is a further object that this invention then automatically interfaces directly with emerging Web and Internet components and format definitions such as XML, and where required, the use of standard tools such as Sunsoft""s Java applets, Netscape""s JavaScript, and Microsoft""s VBScript, ActiveX and other such programmable components.
This frees the user to concentrate on the business problem to be solved, instead of needing highly specialized programming knowledge to resolve it.
It is a further objective of this invention to accomplish this within the familiar existing domain of computer spreadsheet-style user interfaces.
It is a still further objective to permit the use of intelligent expert xe2x80x9cagentxe2x80x9d components within the spreadsheet-style template interface to both guide and direct the user, and also directly translate and interpret the EDI messages themselves.
The system is designed specifically to implement the rule based template mapping system needed to enable dynamic EDI interchanges to succeed within the context of wide scale and distributed use. Such use of distributed Electronic Commerce across a broad spectrum of the business world is unprecedented. Current traditional fixed structure EDI messages account for ten percent or less of worldwide business transactions. Dynamic flexible EDI messaging can facilitate a far greater amount of electronic commerce, particularly since the advent of the Internet as a major delivery system for such interactions.
Since a great deal of future electronic commerce will be directed through the medium of Web Browser desktop software the current invention is designed to integrate directly into this environment and enable the user to control spreadsheet-style template design directly from within the Web Browser software itself.